Prophet Isaiah
No fixed feast day in the calendar
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Isaiah, the prophet who said “Here I am” and foretold the coming of Emmanuel.
Who is he?
Isaiah is one of the great prophets of the Old Testament. He lived and preached in Jerusalem. The book that bears his name contains many announcements about the Savior, whom the Church recognizes as Jesus.
Life story
One day in the Temple, he saw the Lord seated on a high throne, while the seraphim cried out that God is the Holy One (cf. Is 6:1-3). Frightened, he cried out that he was “a man of unclean lips” (Is 6:5). A seraph took a burning coal from the altar and touched his lips with it: this was a sign that God was making him clean and forgiving his sin (cf. Is 6:6-7). Then he heard the voice of the Lord: “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” He answered: “Here I am; send me!” (Is 6:8).
From then on, he bravely spoke God’s word to kings and to the people. He called them to stop doing evil, to learn to do good, to give justice to orphans and to defend widows (cf. Is 1:16-17). He announced a time of peace, when people “shall beat their swords into plowshares” (Is 2:4), and when “the wolf shall dwell with the lamb” (Is 11:6).
He foretold: “the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuel” (Is 7:14). The Gospel of Saint Matthew tells us that these words came true when the Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus (cf. Mt 1:22-23). He also wrote about a child who “is born to us” to save us (Is 9:5), and about the Servant who suffers for our sins (cf. Is 53).
According to tradition, he died a martyr under King Manasseh.
Why does the Church honor him?
All his life he faithfully spoke God’s word, even when that word was often hard to hear. The words he wrote help the Church in every age to recognize Jesus as the one God had promised. Every Advent, the Church reads a great deal from the Book of Isaiah to prepare for Christmas. The Roman Martyrology remembers him on May 9.
A lesson for you
- When you are asked to serve at Mass, to read at church or to help someone, answer boldly: “Here I am.”
- Before reading God’s Word or receiving Holy Communion, ask God to make your lips and your heart clean.
- This Advent, read a passage from the Book of Isaiah with your family and pray for peace.
Identifying marks
- A saw: according to tradition (not found in the Bible), he was put to death by being sawn in two under King Manasseh.
- A scroll: the Book of Isaiah, the book of the prophets the Church reads most during Advent.
- The city of Jerusalem: where he lived and preached, in the eighth century before Christ.
- A burning coal touching his lips (*): a seraph touched his lips with a burning coal to make him clean (cf. Is 6:6-7).
(*) Only in some pictures and statues.
The text on this page is the card in the Catholic Information app, word for word.
Compiled by i-Catholic · About